Sometimes, it’s the simple things that can change a life.
For Shelley Skas, it was a broken lawnmower. The 20 acres surrounding the Coping Together facility were in desperate need of a cut. The nonprofit, which provides emotional wellness and behavioral health services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, couldn’t afford a new one.
While browsing for replacement parts on the McCullough Equipment Group website, Skas, president of the nonprofit, came across a pop-up ad for the Kubota Hometown Proud grant program. A full-service Kubota dealership with multiple locations serving northern Illinois and Indiana, McCullough was offering a $25,000 mower as part of the program. The dealer, which has been in business since 1940, provides a wide range of services including sales, parts, service and rentals.
Skas applied for the grant.
When the email arrived notifying her the agency had won the lawnmower, she was shocked to find out they were also the recipient of a $25,000 cash prize from Kubota.
“It wasn’t until then that I realized how many thousands of nonprofits competed for these prizes,” Skas said.
As it turned out, Coping Together was one of only 10 community-based nonprofits across the nation awarded the cash prize and Kubota equipment.
Skas said the $25,000 cash prize will be used to help develop the facility’s Therapy Town — a one-of-a-kind environment where licensed clinical therapists will have multiple “houses,” special private areas to provide mental health services. Therapists currently share one private office on the grounds.
The indoor therapeutic village will also house animal-assisted therapy and life skills programs. The town will also feature a self-serve, self-pay coffee shop, to be called the Kubota Coffee Shop, that will be stocked by patients for the workers and visitors to the center. With fundraising still underway, Skas expects the new space and coffee shop to be completed within the next two years.
“We’re thrilled we’ll be able to provide more space for our patients and therapists,” Skas said. “It will look like a mini village and less like a clinical office. It’s important for our clients that they understand everyone has problems, but given the ability and the space to talk about them while cooking, riding horses, stocking a coffee shop — just regular activities — they begin to realize that you can have a bad day, be depressed, anxious and still do something you enjoy while talking about the problem. It’s therapy in a nontraditional setting.”
The facility also has sensory-friendly mindfulness trails and equine therapy in a heated barn with nine horses, two ponies, four donkeys and some chickens.
“We are really grateful that we are one of the 10 selected in the country,” Skas said. “Hopefully, they saw something special in us. The ranch is amazingly beautiful and pristine. It’s a retreat-like setting. People need a place that is fun and comfortable. Therapy does not have to be uncomfortable. And that’s what we’re doing. Trying to change the way we view and do traditional therapy.”
Matt McCullough, CEO of the McCullough Equipment Group, said the company is deeply committed to supporting the community.
“This grant program is an investment in the places where our customers live and work,” McCullough said. “Coping Together is making a difference at this local level, strengthening our community by significantly improving the quality of life for thousands and providing them with the skills to thrive.”
Oh, and the lawnmower? Skas said because it can cut a wider swath of grass than the broken one, the time spent mowing has been reduced by eight hours each month, leaving the staff more time for other on-site projects.
Again, sometimes it’s the smaller things in life that can make the biggest difference.
For more information, please visit mckubota.com.
